Environmentally friendly search engine Ecosia and transportation booking website Omio have collaborated on a "tree-planting rail travel booking tool" that helps travelers find climate-conscious options for their next trip across North America or Europe.
The tool is triggered when a user uses Ecosia to search for two cities connected by railways, like "London to Paris" or "Munich to Berlin." The travel widget will ask for journey details like the number of passengers and travel dates and then redirect the user to Omio, where they can complete their reservation.
"This partnership will hopefully expand in the future," an Ecosia spokesperson told TechCrunch. "Omio and Ecosia share views on the importance of promoting train travel."
The tool is currently available in 15 countries: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, Ukraine, the U.S., and Canada. The platform supports rail services such as Amtrak, LNER, GWR, Avanti, SNCF, OBB, and Eurostar.
Additionally, Ecosia will have 100% of its commissions for successful purchases allocated to its eco-friendly initiatives like its tree-planting and regenerative agriculture projects and renewable energy investments.
The non-profit search engine told TechCrunch that it gets over two million searches for train booking phrases in Europe, leading the company to believe there is a "clear user demand for easy-to-use, train travel booking tools."
It also stressed the need to simplify the train booking process since the aviation industry produces about 1.1 billion tons of carbon dioxide, accounting for 2.4% of global carbon pollution. Furthermore, a train can produce 90% less carbon dioxide than a plane.
"Unfortunately, the broader train booking market remains fragmented and by contrast much more straightforward to book a flight knowing you are paying the lowest possible price for your travel," Ecosia said.
However, it added that Omio is "one of the only platforms providing consumers with a holistic overview of rail travel options and their price."
"Flying is an important aspect of the travel ecosystem but we also want to empower travellers to choose more sustainable options, such as train travel, by surfacing all rail travel options in one place, making intercity and cross-border journeys effortless," Omio's VP of partnerships Tommaso del Re said in a statement. "Our partnership with Ecosia is another way we encourage conscious travel — and are looking forward to developing our partnership further."
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